Speaking Thai - is it necessary these days for an expat ?

[The Cobra]

The phenomenon of expats who've been living it up in Thailand for ages but still can't muster more than a basic "sawasdee" or "khop khun krap." Seriously, it's like they're allergic to picking up the local lamguage.

I mean, sure, there are some shining examples out there who defy the odds and become fluent Thai speakers despite all odds. But for every success story, there's a whole squad of expats who've been here since the dinosaurs roamed the earth and still can't order a plate of phad thai without resorting to hand gestures and wild gesticulations.

What gives, right? These folks have got the whole package - Thai spouse, adorable kids, a cozy home, and maybe even a thriving business. But ask them to hold a conversation in Thai beyond "hello" and "thank you," and you're met with blank stares and awkward silences.

It's like, after spending a decade or two in the Land of Smiles, you'd think a little bit of the language would have seeped into their brains by osmosis. But nope, they're still stuck in English-only mode, like they've got some kind of linguistic force field keeping Thai at bay.

Is it laziness? Stubbornness?

Or maybe they've got a secret bee buzzing around in their bonnet, convinced that speaking Thai is not needed? Who knows!

 

I've encountered my fair share of these perpetual English speakers during my time here, and let me tell you, it's a mystery wrapped in an enigma sprinkled with a dash of "what the heck?"

So, what's the psychology behind it all? Your guess is as good as mine. But until we crack the code, I guess we'll just have to keep marveling at the curious case of the Thai-speaking-challenged expat.

 

Can you speak Thai beyond the basics ? is it really needed and do you even care ? Just wondered what your take is on speaking Thai ?

[Ralf001]

2 minutes ago, The Cobra said:

 

 

Can you speak Thai beyond the basics ?

 

Can I - Yes.

Do I - Rarely.

[The Cobra]

1 minute ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Can I - Yes.

Do I - Rarely.

And why is that ? prefer not to engage Thais, dont really have a need ?, can you expand a bit please ?

[Stocky]

I don't give a damn

[Ralf001]

1 minute ago, The Cobra said:

And why is that ? prefer not to engage Thais, dont really have a need ?, can you expand a bit please ?

Majority of Thai's I see daily speak English.

Ok yes out on the production floor at work they do not speak English but very few of them are Thai anyways.

[sirineou]

wachetouya cobra?

[Mike Lister]

Seems like an oldies bashing thread to me.....look at me, I'm fluent and have been here fraction of the time you have. Wow, aren't you good.

[BritManToo]

13 minutes ago, The Cobra said:

So, what's the psychology behind it all? Your guess is as good as mine. But until we crack the code, I guess we'll just have to keep marveling at the curious case of the Thai-speaking-challenged expat.

Central Thai is a worthless language only spoken by 40% of the Thai population as a 1st language.

 

My family all speak English, if I wanted to speak another language (in addition to English French and Spanish) it'd probably be Chinese.

[The Cobra]

7 minutes ago, Mike Lister said:

Seems like an oldies bashing thread to me.....look at me, I'm fluent and have been here fraction of the time you have. Wow, aren't you good.

A lot of assumptions there, with a sprinkle of baiting. No thanks.

[Goat]

It is the ones who can not speak and read who are always in a state of frustration.

It is like living the life of an illiterate, deaf mute. 

 

And frustrating for the poor locals who bear the the brunt of this frustration with the the farang pulling faces an using hand signals, often using singlular Thai words and thinking that the Thai is the stupid one for not being able to understand the mess.

 

In Australia we make immigrants speak english, we should do it here also.

[Yagoda]

26 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Central Thai is a worthless language only spoken by 40% of the Thai population as a 1st language.

 

My family all speak English, if I wanted to speak another language (in addition to English French and Spanish) it'd probably be Chinese.

Life was tougher before Google Translate. I speak English and so should you.

 

I will say IM spoiled in Cambodia because the level of English is higher

Edited April 8 by Yagoda

[Yagoda]

9 minutes ago, Goat said:

It is the ones who can not speak and read who are always in a state of frustration.

It is like living the life of an illiterate, deaf mute. 

 

And frustrating for the poor locals who bear the the brunt of this frustration with the the farang pulling faces an using hand signals, often using singlular Thai words and thinking that the Thai is the stupid one for not being able to understand the mess.

 

In Australia we make immigrants speak english, we should do it here also.

I can and do make my inability to speak all these tongue twisting dialects a fun experience in which I play the fool, and get what I want with tons of laughter and backslapping.

 

Life is too short to be frustrated by anything. Its not a DMV in NYC

[mancub]

I made it a priority to learn years ago essentially because I hated the idea of being one of those who converse in childlike language and need someone to hold my hand everywhere. 

Unless your partner speaks your language fluently you are only going to get half the story at best...a source of great frustration for many.

I don't pretend to have integrated here but I'm happier in the knowledge that I can have a decent conversation 

[proton]

My Mrs has taught it for 25 years to a few off here with great results, one learned to speak read and write to a high standard in 3 years. I could not do that in 100 years and gave up years ago, still very, very basic. Never came across a situation where Thais were pleased you were trying, usually the opposite where they seem determined not to even try and understand. Tones are the big problem, can't even hear them unless they are exaggerated.

[bkk6060]

They are always talking about us.  And, I do not really want to know what they are saying. 

[Trippy]

1 hour ago, The Cobra said:

is it really needed and do you even care ? 

No it's not needed, and I don't care. Why should you? If you want to learn Thai, that's a personal choice. Don't push your choices on anybody else.

[BKKBike09]

1 hour ago, The Cobra said:

I've encountered my fair share of these perpetual English speakers during my time here

 

How long have you been here?

 

How's YOUR Thai?

[simon43]

For me, it's a matter of being polite and showing effort to learn the local language.

 

When I'm in Thailand, I speak/read/write Thai...

When I'm in Myanmar (Burma), I speak/read/write Burmese...

When I'm in Laos, I speak/read/write Lao...

 

I'm far from fluent in these languages, but I make an effort and it's very much appreciated by the locals 🙂

[sirineou]

2 hours ago, Mike Lister said:

Seems like an oldies bashing thread to me.....look at me, I'm fluent and have been here fraction of the time you have. Wow, aren't you good.

That's exactly what I was thinking Mike. 

Does he really want to know why so many of us don't speak the language? Or is he really taking this opportunity to  "Hey look at me" "why cant you all be as good as me"

IMO a thinly veiled sign of insecurity.

[Photoguy21]

It may not be essential but it is a courtesy which is appreciated by the Thai people and cannot see any reason why you wouldn't want to speak passable Thai if you live in the country. For a tourist not the same.

[BigStar]

1 hour ago, bkk6060 said:

They are always talking about us.

 

No. Enough with the paranoia.

 

1 hour ago, bkk6060 said:

And, I do not really want to know what they are saying. 

 

Thais can be great characters with some interesting if not remarkable stories. They're fun to joke around with, too. So you'd need an appreciation for such, consider them as real people rather than paid servants for your convenience.

[OneMoreFarang]

3 hours ago, The Cobra said:

Can you speak Thai beyond the basics ? is it really needed and do you even care ? Just wondered what your take is on speaking Thai ?

Sure. It helps tremendously talking to innocent Thai girls who don't know any English.

 

Apart from that, it's also nice to be able to communicate with the locals.

 

But do expats in the city really need to speak Thai? In international companies people speak English. In international restaurants the menu is in English and the waiters speak English. Now if the maid and driver understand a little English, people don't need to speak Thai.

 

I think it's good to know Thai to understand the people and culture at least a little bit better. 

[NanLaew]

My youngest got top marks at school with the only admonishment being for his English-speaking skills. His teacher spoke to Mrs NL and suggested that since dad is a native English speaker, he should speak more English with his son. Mrs NL set her right and said the lingua franca at home is Lao and that includes dad. If I do ask him a question in English, he answers in Lao. When he rarely asks me a question or tries to converse in English, I will answer in Lao as he will both will understand that quicker.

 

Yeah, it's that darned farang's fault again!

[NanLaew]

58 minutes ago, sirineou said:

That's exactly what I was thinking Mike. 

Does he really want to know why so many of us don't speak the language? Or is he really taking this opportunity to  "Hey look at me" "why cant you all be as good as me"

IMO a thinly veiled sign of insecurity.

 

Ohhhhhh noooooo.... you mean it's (just another anonymous internet forum) cock wave?

 

Say it isn't so.

Edited April 8 by NanLaew

[mfd101]

Depends largely on where you live (BKK/Pattaya/Phuket vs just about everywhere else), your personal circumstances (partner with or without English, children, wider family ... ), and your personal inclinations.

 

I have several European languages and a strong inclination for learning thru reading. But my early efforts at Thai were miserable, not helped by a b/f who has no education and no ability or wish to help. If we were still in BKK I would (now) enroll in Thai language classes, but here in south Surin where people swap back & forth between heavily-accented Thai & northern Khmer it's a bit hopeless for me so I have resigned myself to being the 'rich' but silent 'learned man' (I wear glasses - a sure sign).

[bob smith]

…as you all know my Thai is very good.

 

It has been my experience that the vast majority of locals do not like it when a farang can speak thai, especially in the tourist ghettos. 

 

They see it as the farang knows too much and thus cannot be taken advantage of. If I had my time again, I would not have devoted so much time and effort to learning a language that the locals don’t like me speaking.

 

my advice is just to give em English - lord knows they need it!

 

bob.

[Mike Lister]

2 minutes ago, bob smith said:

…as you all know my Thai is very good.

 

It has been my experience that the vast majority of locals do not like it when a farang can speak thai, especially in the tourist ghettos. 

 

They see it as the farang knows too much and thus cannot be taken advantage of. If I had my time again, I would not have devoted so much time and effort to learning a language that the locals don’t like me speaking.

 

my advice is just to give em English - lord knows they need it!

 

bob.

I can vouch for Bob's statement, his written and spoken Thai is of a very high standard.

[NanLaew]

7 minutes ago, Mike Lister said:

I can vouch for Bob's statement, his written and spoken Thai is of a very high standard.

 

Good to know, thanks. It's still a pity he wastes so much of his precious remaining minutes in Thailand yakking in English on anonymous internet forums.

[rattlesnake]

3 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

They are always talking about us.  And, I do not really want to know what they are saying. 

 

Big mistake IMO. Best to understand, intervene and rectify all erroneous assumptions being made.

[proton]

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

For me, it's a matter of being polite and showing effort to learn the local language.

 

When I'm in Thailand, I speak/read/write Thai...

When I'm in Myanmar (Burma), I speak/read/write Burmese...

When I'm in Laos, I speak/read/write Lao...

 

I'm far from fluent in these languages, but I make an effort and it's very much appreciated by the locals 🙂

 

Is it Urdu when in Leicester then 😄